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Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett lived some 3,200 miles from the homelands of the Coquille Tribe in southwestern Oregon, but he likely would have felt at home there.
There’s the vibe. Buffett, the multiplatinum-selling artist and creator of the Margaritaville business enterprise who died Sept. 1 from a rare form of skin cancer, would have fit right in with the Rogue River, the valley wineries, and the music and live theater scene.
Buffett performed six times in the last 25 years in Portland, a four-hour drive north, and a three-hour drive west would have gotten him to the rugged shorelines, beach towns and lighthouses of the Oregon Coast.
And there are the values he shared with the Coquille people — the sharing of wealth, an entrepreneurial spirit and environmental stewardship. READ MORE. — Richard Arlin Walker, Special to ICT
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Tohono O’odham citizens now have access to wireless internet options thanks to a partnership the Tohono O’odham Utility Authority established with Baicells Technologies to provide high-speed broadband connectivity to villages across the largely rural Tohono O’odham Nation.
“Understanding our remote location and lack of service by any existing carriers, we knew it was up to us to address this issue of broadband access,” Kristan Johnson, the operations manager for the Tohono O’odham Utility Authority (TOUA), said in a press release. TOUA has been offering internet services since 1998.
The Tohono O’odham Nation is 4,460 square miles, about the size of Connecticut, and roughly 28,000 Tohono O’odham people live on its tribal lands in southwestern Arizona.
The Tohono O’odham Nation is divided into 11 districts that are made up of 72 villages. Due to the rural conditions, the tribe has faced challenges bringing access to high-speed internet in many parts of tribal land. READ MORE. — AZ Mirror
Cherokee citizen Gary Paul Davis, known professionally as “Litefoot,” said the struggle was real when he began his career in hip-hop as an Indigenous rapper in the early 90s.
The actor, filmmaker and rap artist said he was offered a major record deal early in his career but the label didn’t want him to talk about his culture in his music. He turned it down and decided to create Red Vinyl Records and worked two full time jobs to fund it into success.
“Red Vinyl wasn’t just about me, it was to create a launch pad for other up-and-coming Indigenous musicians, others who like me, had the door shut in their faces,” Litefoot said in an email.
He said rap back then was thought to be a passing fad and had a lot of negativity attached to it. Some in hip-hop pulled no punches, using the art form and the culture as a no-holds-barred way of showcasing the troubles of their lives. Often those messages have been met with fear or disdain in the mainstream. When N.W.A. came “Straight Outta Compton” in 1988 with loud, brash tales of police abuse and gang life, radio stations recoiled. READ MORE. — Kalle Benallie, ICT
If things had gone as originally planned, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum would be launching its fall exhibition Friday. But officials postponed the show six weeks before the opening over concern that a painting by activist-artist Shepard Fairey could be seen as “disparaging toward some City of Mesa employees.”
Now, the Phoenix suburb is ready to move forward and debut the show in October, albeit with a prominent disclaimer that the artwork represents only the artist’s views. All the original artists have been invited to remain in the exhibition.
Thomas “Breeze” Marcus will not be one of them. And he says he won’t be displaying any of his work, which focuses on Native American life, in Mesa in the future.
The whole ordeal, in his view, is rooted in censorship. READ MORE. — Associated Press
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On the Tuesday edition of the ICT Newscast, we meet the National Native American Law Enforcement Association’s Police Chief of the Year. An upcoming film covers the importance and history of buffalo. And we get an early look at a first-of-its-kind Indigenous People’s Day celebration.
As Chief of Police for the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe in New York, Matthew Rourke faces some unique challenges. Not the least of which is the international border that runs right through his Nation. He was recently named Chief of Police of the Year by the National Native American Law Enforcement Association. ICT’s Stewart Huntington caught up with the chief and asked him about the honor.
“The American Buffalo” is a two-part, four-hour film that explores the significance of buffalo, past and present. ICT’s Paris Wise has this interview with consulting producer Julianna Brannum.
Next month, cities and tribal nations across the United States will celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. There will be pageants, parades and celebrations of all kinds … and the message is simple: that Native people are still here. Autumn Rose Williams works with the Indigenous art space, Cahokia and is one of the coordinators for this year’s Indigenous Peoples Day celebration.
WATCH:
During the 2020 census, Native American leaders across the U.S. invested time and resources to make sure their members were tallied during the head count, which determines political power and federal funding.
But the detailed data sets from the 2020 census they will receive this month are more limited and less accurate than they were in the previous census — and it isn’t because the COVID-19 pandemic severely limited outreach efforts.
Rather, it’s due to new privacy methods implemented by the U.S. Census Bureau in order to protect the confidentiality of participants, one of which introduces intentional errors, or “noise,” to the data.
At stake is the availability and accuracy of data helping tribal leaders make decisions about where to locate grocery stores or schools and estimate future population growth. Census numbers determine funding for social programs, education, roads and elderly care for tribes that have been historically undercounted. READ MORE. — Associated Press
- From the battlefield to the stage: Former Navy SEAL takes up acting and seeks to give back to Native people.
- New Ecotrust leader just wants to learn: Ronda Rutledge is Ecotrust’s first Indigenous executive director. The Portland nonprofit focuses on environmental stewardship and economic growth among Pacific Northwest tribes.
- Mexican family preserves ancient dye production method: This red dye was so valuable it built cities. One family in Mexico is still making it the old way.
- A ‘Land Back’ achievement: Land that was for centuries an Indigenous village is now a permanent home for the Native American Youth and Family Center in Portland, Oregon.
- Tribe getting piece of Minnesota back: A memorial honors the 38 Dakota men killed in Mankato, 110 miles from the Upper Sioux Agency State Park.
- Why Native American tribes struggle to tap billions in clean energy incentives.
- Toronto Debut ’Frybread Face and Me’ Tucks Universal Truths Into Native American Tale.
- Man illegally dug up human remains, artifacts at Native American burial site, feds say.
We want your tips, but we also want your feedback. What should we be covering that we’re not? What are we getting wrong? Please let us know. dalton@ictnews.org.
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